PA Money Match Checks Begin Going Out: See If You Qualify

HARRISBURG, PA — More than 7,000 people will receive a total of $1.7 million in the initial distribution of Pennsylvania Money Match checks, state Treasurer Tracy Garrity announced this week.

The new program, which allows the state Treasury to automatically return certain unclaimed property to rightful owners, was unanimously approved last year by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Unclaimed property includes things such as dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, forgotten stocks, insurance policies, tangible property like the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes, and more. In most cases, state law requires businesses to report unclaimed property to the treasury after three years of dormancy.

To see if you are owed money or property, click here.

"Most of these folks didn’t even realize they had unclaimed property waiting for them," Garrity said in a release. "We want to get the word out about this program, and let people know that these checks will be arriving, so everyone knows that this is a real program, this is real money, and it belongs to them."

Pennsylvania Money Match authorizes the Treasury to automatically return single-owner properties valued up to $500 after a thorough identification and verification process. At least 14 other states have successfully implemented similar programs.

Money Match checks will be sent quarterly. The next batch, which will include about 40,000 checks, will go out in May.

Pennsylvania Money Match does not apply to claims for properties valued above $500 or those that have multiple owners or other complexities. Those claimants will still need to file a claim and
provide any required documentation.

Garrity said more than one in 10 Pennsylvanians is owed some of the $4.5 billion in unclaimed property being safeguarded by the Treasury. The average value of a claim is about $1,600.